One of two speed bumps removed in Mġarr after cyclist injured

One of two consecutive speed bumps that posed a danger to cyclists on a hill in Mġarr has been removed, a month after a triathlete broke her collarbone after losing control of her bike on the dual bumps.

Etienne Bonello, technical director of the Malta Cycling Federation, had flagged the double speed bumps last month when he warned cyclists on social media about the installation of two consecutive sleeping policemen on the blind downhill corner at Tas-Santi.

The first speed bump, located on a bend, had been there for some time. The second, however, was a recent addition to a road frequently used by cyclists practising hill-riding.

On Sunday, Bonello posted a photo that showed that one of the speed bumps had been removed and wrote: “I am glad that the authorities listened and took action.”

The issue made the headlines when, on December 8, triathlete Lena Sammut was cycling as part of her routine training when she hit the double speed bump and was catapulted off her bike, breaking her collarbone.

Lena recounted how, as she descended the hill while training with her husband in the morning, she was aware – only through social media – that a double speed bump had been installed. But she found no warning signs on the approach. When she finally reached the bumps, she “shot forward”.

Triathlete Lena Sammut broke her collarbone when she fell off her bicycle on the double speed bumps in December.

Her helmet was damaged and, besides the fracture to her right collarbone, she sustained grazes to her nose, lip and chin, in addition to bruising to her hip.

Taken to hospital by ambulance and suffering from mild concussion, she later underwent surgery to repair the broken bone with a metal plate.

In a reaction to the removal of one of the speed bumps, Lena, a 38-year-old lawyer, said that while the removal of the second speed bump was a welcome development, the remaining speed bump should have a channel gap made to enable cyclists to avoid it, as per Transport Malta’s Permanent Traffic Management Policies and Guidelines 2016.

"Speed bumps shouldn’t even be installed on downhills. Instead, other speed reduction mechanisms should be used to deter excess speeding by road users...

"I do hope that this incident, which could easily have been avoided had every road user’s interests been considered as opposed to those of a chosen few, has raised awareness of the danger to which road users other than motorists regularly face on Maltese roads," she said.